10 Terrible Iterations Of Legendary Gimmick Matches

We’ve seen some pretty suspect cage matches so far, but few can compare to this next entry. Borrowing from certain elements of WCW’s Chamber of Horrors, in 2007 TNA introduced the world to the first-ever electrified cage match - which does exactly what is says on the tin, really.

Brother Ray and Brother Devon of Team 3D faced off against Homicide and Hernandez of LAX, in what was formally dubbed an Electrified Six Sides of Steel match with the NWA World Tag Team Championships on the line.

Obviously, though, the cage wasn’t really electrified on account of the fact that you’re not allowed to kill people inside a wrestling ring. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

Instead, as reported by Wrestlezone, “TNA chose to run a “humming” sound of electricity over the PA system in the arena” which they later turned down because it was too much of a distraction. And while they had planned to feature pyro and sparks whenever someone was supposedly electrocuted, they instead settled for simply flashing the arena lights and telling the wrestlers to make pretend accordingly.

If this all sounds terrible, that’s because it was.

Jim Cornette recounts how Brother Ray was audibly screaming expletives in front of the camera after the match, such was his displeasure with the preceding events. Cornette himself provided his own assessment of the events, calling the match a “goddam mess” as well as a number of other things that I probably shouldn’t repeat.